Bernards Township board highlights programs to bridge middle and high schools

At the March 9 meeting of the Bernards Township School District Board of Education, students and staff presented a series of programs designed to strengthen ties between elementary, middle and high schools and to support student wellbeing.

MJ, the board's student representative, opened with school updates and accolades for Ridge High School’s athletics, speech and academic teams and described student‑led initiatives such as Music Fridays that aim to build community. "Our 4 by 800 boys team won the New Jersey state championships," MJ said during the update.

Dr. Laszwick, Ridge High School principal, framed the presentations as part of a district 'restoring focus' initiative to center student wellbeing and shared how leaders are aligning programs across buildings. "What you're going to see tonight is not just a series of programs that happen at Williams and at Ridge, but you're going to see a connected series of programs that create a cycle so that we're benefiting and our students are benefited by us working with each other," he said.

Ms. Hudak described the district's use of community circles at the middle school to build trust, equity and listening skills. She said the district has trained most staff in restorative circle practice and plans a staff‑wide circle session at the next March meeting. "The power of community circles really focuses in a lot of the skills that the high school is also fostering," she said.

Ms. Howarth introduced a 'Talk Kind' initiative at the high school aimed at reducing derogatory and biased language among students by building awareness, accountability and specific workstreams for students, teachers, families and coaches. "One of our biggest goals for the Talk Kind initiative is to bring awareness, to bring accountability to our students, and to create a positive culture," she said.

Joe Flynn, a special‑education teacher and transition coordinator at Ridge High School, explained a postgraduate transition program for 18‑ to 21‑year‑olds that provides community‑based work experiences at sites such as the YMCA and local retailers and runs a school coffee cart called the Happy Day Cafe. "The goal of these experiences... is to help them strengthen their communication skills, learn to collaborate effectively, and just become overall more independent," Flynn said.

Roman, a student in the postgraduate program, told the board the program gave him hands‑on experience and a sense of purpose. "I am truly honored to represent the students with disabilities in our district," he said, describing job placements and community service that he said helped build independence.

Board members thanked presenters and noted the programs require no immediate board action. The presentations were recorded and staff said follow‑up materials and links to the program summaries will be posted for the board and public.